


A Place of Peace

by HissHex



Series: PeterMartin Week 2020 [4]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Cuddling, M/M, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, The Tundra and its crew, because what is the point of writing if you are not going to use tropes, non-rejected kisses because Peter learns his lessons, rejected kiss but only because Peter is a fool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HissHex/pseuds/HissHex
Summary: Day 4 of PeterMartin Week - Marine & DomainPeter takes Martin out on the Tundra. A man is sacrificed, and two lonely men kiss
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Peter Lukas
Series: PeterMartin Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007181
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	A Place of Peace

Martin slung his hold-all over his shoulder as he exited the taxi. Peter had once again made him crawl out of his flat at an ungodly hour and he didn’t even have the decency to pick him up or pay for the taxi.

He had only been to the beach a few times in his life, a vague distant memory from before his dad had left and then a couple more with school. The rush of the waves was pleasant in the dim light of the foggy morning. He walked up to the docks that Peter had given the address for, a number of men and women loading a large shipping freighter with supplies.

Martin had heard of the Tundra of course, Peter’s beloved ship. The other man could talk about “her” for hours given the chance. Martin would never admit it, but he liked listening to Peter talk about something he was so passionate about. As he came closer, looking for the ship’s captain, he noticed that none of the crew talked to each other like the crew of the other ships that were also docked. Except for one.

He found Peter, looking tall and stern and scary and it was such a difference to his usual chatty, obnoxious self that Martin had to restrain a laugh. He was looming over a young man who was apparently making the poor decision to work on the ship. The young man was getting the odd pitying look from the other crew and Martin couldn’t help but feel sorry for the naive idiot. Peter caught sight of him and gave the young man a pat on the back, leaving him to gather his things and find the crew quarters by himself.

A few of the crew gave quite alarmed looks as Peter strode over to him and seemingly transformed into the overly cheerful man that he knew.

“Hello Martin! All set are we?” Martin gave a tired nod and Peter lead him onto the ship. He wasn’t taken to the same area that the rest of the crew seemed to be heading towards now that the food and other supplies can been carried on board. Peter swung open a door to a moderately sized room.

The double bed was covered in pale grey and blue sheets and there was little decoration in the room other than a misty painting of a ship and a few bits and pieces that Peter had obviously picked up over the years.

The jumper Martin had knitted for him was slung over the back of the chair that stood tucked under Peter’s desk.  He could spot a few other trinkets he had gifted Peter lying about and he felt a warmth bloom in his chest at the thought that Peter had kept them all.  Peter closed the door behind him, taking Martin’s bag and dumping it at the end of the bed. 

Martin looked at him. 

Peter looked back. 

“Well I can’t have you staying with the crew, it will upset the delicate social ecosystem. So you can stay in here with me” Peter said with a smile that faltered at the edges from something Martin supposed might be nervousness. 

Martin looked at the sole bed in the room and  was forcibly reminded of every memory of cheap romance books with similar plots that he had stacked up in his old apartment.  He gave Peter another look and the other man had the decency to go a little pink. 

Peter muttered something about checking on his crew and talking to his first mate and letting Martin settle in before he scuttled off, out of the room. He had mistakenly betrayed his actual intentions by slipping the packet of cat treats that had been sitting on the bedside table into his pocket.  He decided not to call Peter out on his avoidance of the bed situation, Peter’s major personality trait was avoiding conversations so it seemed a little pointless and a waste of both their times. 

H e unpacked his bag, hanging up his clothes next to Peter’s own and settling down on the bed with his laptop. He had downloaded everything he thought he would need for the next few months as he knew connection to the internet was going to be scarce.  He knew the crew was going to be antisocial and with no internet connection, Peter was going to be his only contact. 

He wasn’t sure whether that terrified him or comforted him. 

  
  


It was a few weeks since the ship had set sail. Long days of working on his laptop in Peter’s cabin.  Peter was a lot more confident on the Tundra compared to at the Institute, he was a lot different in general. Peter, to Martin, was a man of fake cheer and one-sided chatting, but on the Tundra he became the terrifying figure that was seen in so many statements, cold and indifferent and cruel. That young newbie sailor had been dragged off into the fog only a week into the journey, Peter had been impatient apparently. The rest of the crew didn’t seem to care but had given him considering looks for a few days afterwards which made Martin suspect that the young sailor had perhaps said something unfortunate about him either in Peter’s presence or in the presence of someone loyal to their captain. Martin felt kinda bad, but the cold fog and Peter’s subtle affection numbed that guilt quickly enough. 

Sometimes the older man would take him out of the cabin and onto the deck of the ship, especially in the morning as the fog rolled in. Martin could look down into the water and know that while the Tundra sailed by, no creatures would be in the water, unnaturally repelled by the aura of isolation. Martin had remarked to Peter that the fog was beautiful as it played across the water and Peter had responded with a surprised,  fond smile and a brief hand on Martin’s back. Martin had felt brave, their increasing levels of intimacy fooling him into confidence as he leant forward for a kiss in the light of the early morning sunrise. Peter had backed away swiftly  with a panicked look and disappeared into the depths of the ship in seconds. Even when Martin returned to the cabin, he still didn’t appear.

He had finished his work for the day and was reading when Peter had finally returned. The other man had not returned for  the rest of the day, nor for  lunch, leaving Martin to munch on a couple of his emergency snacks. Apparently he wasn’t going to abandon him for dinner as well. 

Martin didn’t question where he had been. 

He didn’t point out the cat hairs on his trousers. 

He didn’t complain about Peter leaving him here with no idea where anything was. 

He didn’t say a word about Peter abandoning him out on the deck.

He didn’t even complain about why Peter was dragging him away from the Institute for so long. Well, not technically. 

“Peter, this cabin is lovely and all but you know I cant actually stay on the Tundra for the next who even knows how many months, it will make me sick.”

Seeing that he wasn’t about to get shouted at, Peter perked up a little.

“Ah, that shouldn’t be a problem. You are connected enough to the Lonely that being on the Tundra should make that bearable”

Peter was hovering around the edge of the room. It was getting late and Martin knew he would be tired around now.  Martin had already changed into his sleepwear though he was laying on top of the covers. 

There was a knock at the door and a stern-faced man stood there with a tray. 

“Your dinner Captain.”

“Thank you Tadeas”

Peter placed the tray on the desk. He hesitated for a moment before shifting into the bathroom to change. He came back in loose trousers and no top and Martin had to think of literally anything else for a moment before he embarrassed himself. The older man grabbed the tray and sat it down in front of Martin before got into the bed next to him. 

It wasn’t anything fancy. Peter had bought Martin more expensive meals when they went out to lunch at the cafe round the corner from the Institute. They both picked at the food in silence. 

Peter  shifted the tray away once they were done, watching as Martin slipped under the covers. He hesitated again before doing the same.  They had been sleeping in the same bed since the first day Martin had come aboard but Peter always lay with his back to Martin, ignoring him until morning. Not this time. Martin could feel Peter’s gaze, not the most piercing he had ever felt, not with working in the Institute, but it settled over his skin like a blanket. 

Martin felt a cold arm wrap around his waist and pull him towards Peter’s broad chest. A slightly warmer breath brushed against his neck. Martin shifted around to look at Peter. 

He opened his mouth, unsure of what to even say but Peter shushed him gently.  A cool kiss to his forehead, another to his blushing cheek. Martin  rested his head on Peter’s chest, listening to the slow thump of Peter’s heartbeat as he slowly drifted off. 


End file.
